Polygonal Container Blank With Reduced Fold Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing eight-sided containers require more fold lines and panels than necessary, compromising stacking strength and efficiency in formation.
Innovation Solution
A blank of sheet material with fewer fold lines and panels is used to form a stackable, collapsible container with improved stacking strength, featuring a design that includes four generally rectangular panels connected by parallel fold lines, corner panels, and lateral flaps to create a container with eight sides, reducing the number of panels and fold lines while maintaining structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a blank with more fold lines and panels is used to form an eight-sided container, then the container can be formed with traditional designs, but the stacking strength is compromised and formation efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates unnecessary fold lines and panels from traditional eight-sided container designs. By removing redundant structural elements while retaining the essential eight-sided geometry, the invention achieves the same container shape with fewer components, thereby improving stacking strength and formation efficiency without compromising structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the container blank into four generally rectangular panels connected by parallel fold lines, with corner panels and lateral flaps. This segmentation approach creates a simplified structure that forms the eight-sided container shape with fewer panels and fold lines than traditional designs, resolving the contradiction between structural completeness and complexity reduction.
2Productivity
If a blank with fewer fold lines and panels is used to form the container, then stacking strength is improved, but the formation process becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates preliminary action through pre-defined fold lines and panel configurations in the blank design. The four rectangular panels are pre-connected by parallel fold lines, and corner panels and lateral flaps are pre-positioned, enabling the container to be formed efficiently with fewer steps while maintaining structural integrity and ease of manufacture.
3Strength
If traditional container designs with more panels are used, then complete coverage is achieved, but compression strength is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite structure combining four rectangular panels with corner panels and lateral flaps to form the eight-sided container. This composite arrangement provides complete coverage while enhancing compression strength through the geometric configuration of the panels and fold lines, eliminating the need for additional panels that would reduce structural integrity.
Data Source
AI summary
A blank of sheet material for forming a container is provided. The blank includes a series of four generally rectangular panels connected along a plurality of substantially parallel fold lines. The panels include a first spaced-apart pair of panels and a second spaced-apart pair of panels. Each of the second spaced-apart pair of panels is connected to at least one panel of the first spaced-apart pair of panels. The blank also includes a corner panel extending from each side edge of each panel of the first pair of panels, and a lateral flap extending from each side edge of each panel of the second pair of panels, wherein each lateral flap has free side edges.